June is off to a good start. On Saturday when only four people were scheduled, I was caught by surprise when ten people walked in during the last fifteen minutes before closing. Things got a little bit wild, but in the end, everyone floated out the door on an invisible carpet of Chi. Just prior …
“All my life, I was a taker. I spent twenty years in prison. It was scary, but one day, I decided to become a giver instead. I didn’t have much to give, but I figured if I shared what I had, God would take care of the rest. Everything I’ve given has come back to me many times over.”
In my dream that night, I am holding a vajra‚ the symbol of enlightenment. I drop it by accident into the mud, and then quickly retrieve it, dipping it into a nearby waterfall. Once again the vajra shines. Innate purity is revealed. I hear a whisper: “This vajra mind is indestructible.” Don’t believe in ordinary conceptions. Question them again and again. Understand gross sense perception as just that. And ever look towards that which dwells beyond, the deathless.
Sustainability starts here and now. Simple food. Pure water and air. Health care without drug side effects. Adequate rest. “Daddy, come to bed now, it’s story time.” My four year old is calling, reminding me that sustainability means turning off the computer no later than 9:00 p.m. and turning all positive intentions for the future into the fertile soil of a good night’s sleep.
We all go through difficult periods from time to time. Our proverbial forty days in the desert, our dark nights of the soul. These can give us strength if we remember that “this too will pass”, that life is never without purpose or meaning, and that all experiences carry many teachings. A long time ago …
(First published on Feb. 27, 2007 – we continue to transfer blogs from our old server to our new server – enjoy our CommuniChi history!) Although Hurricane Katrina and the Great Flood of 2005 in New Orleans has long since dropped off the front pages of the media, the after effects of this disaster continue …
Acupuncture and Disaster Relief – Hurricane Katrina Journal Read More »
We are all connected and although media and social conditioning often highlight our differences – skin color, age, size, ability, income, class, sexual preference, food choices, religion, and so on – these are like different colors of dye dissolved in water. It’s still water – wet, innately clear, the basis of all life.
I first gave this talk to a group of high school seniors in Ellensburg, Washington in the spring of 2005. One of my patients, a high school teacher, asked me to come and talk about my life. If you ever have a chance to speak to a group of students like this, I highly recommend …
